PRINTER'S NO. 1632
No. 1277 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, LOEPER, HOLL, BOSCOLA, TILGHMAN, COSTA,
LEMMOND AND SLOCUM, FEBRUARY 1, 2000
REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION, FEBRUARY 1, 2000
AN ACT
1 Providing for the Department of Transportation to conduct a
2 study on school zone safety.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the School Zone
7 Safety Study Act.
8 Section 2. Definitions.
9 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
10 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
11 context clearly indicates otherwise:
12 "Department." The Department of Transportation of the
13 Commonwealth.
14 "School zone." The section of the highway in the vicinity of
15 a school where school children, school traffic or their
16 activities may affect the traffic on the highway, as provided
17 for in 75 Pa.C.S. § 3365(b) (relating to special speed
1 limitations).
2 Section 3. School zone safety study.
3 The department shall conduct a study of school zone safety
4 with special emphasis on the traffic-control devices that
5 indicate the beginning and the end of the school zone and the
6 school zone speed limit. The study shall consider:
7 (1) Whether changes should be made in the design or
8 placement of the traffic-control devices to make them more
9 visible to drivers.
10 (2) Whether changes should be made in the hours of
11 operation of the traffic-control devices to make the hours of
12 operation more compatible with activities taking place in and
13 around the school.
14 (3) Whether currently installed traffic-control devices
15 are properly maintained and not blocked by foliage or other
16 obstructions.
17 (4) Whether other changes are necessary in school zones
18 to promote the safety of the school children and the school
19 employees.
20 (5) Whether changes should be made by legislation or in
21 regulations that would result in safer school zones.
22 Section 4. Cooperation of other agencies.
23 The Department of Education, other State agencies and
24 political subdivisions shall cooperate with the department by
25 providing any information that the department requests for the
26 study conducted pursuant to this act.
27 Section 5. Report.
28 Within one year of the effective date of this act, the
29 department shall report to the Governor and to the General
30 Assembly on the results of the study conducted pursuant to this
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1 act. The report shall include administrative recommendations and
2 a plan for implementing those recommendations. In addition, the
3 report shall include any legislative recommendations resulting
4 from the study.
5 Section 6. Effective date.
6 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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